Transition

The Role of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) in School to Work (STW) Transition Services

OVR assists secondary education school students with disabilities to transition from school into postsecondary education, training, independent living, or directly into employment with the ultimate goal of inclusion in the adult community as productive citizens. The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Transition Counselor works closely with staff at local schools to:

Provide assistance with transition planning.

Develop appropriate OVR referrals.

Educate school staff, parents, students, and others about the OVR programs.

The Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) should be completed as soon as eligibility has been determined but no later than 60 days, and the necessary information has been gathered. An IPE should be in place prior to graduation or exit from school. The IPE is to be coordinated with the student's Individual Educational Program (IEP) that is developed by the school system's transition team. The transition team may include, but is not limited to the following members:

Parent or Guardian

Special Education (SPED) Teacher

General Education Teacher

Vocational Education Teacher

Other necessary school services personnel

Support Coordinator

Invited agency representatives

Others who may be instrumental in the student's successful transition

VR Transition Counselor Responsibilities

The VR Transition Counselor may carry out the following responsibilities as OVR’s representative:

Providing outreach to educate individuals about the OVR process and services.

Processing referrals and applications.

Conducting preliminary assessment interviews.

Securing preliminary eligibility documentation/student records.

Completing case note documentation.

Attending Transition IEP meetings as the OVR agency representative when invited by the school.

Outreach activities of the VR Transition Counselor are primarily focused on providing information about VR to school staff, students, parents, community professionals, and others interested in transition services. Outreach to these students should occur as early as possible during the transition planning process and must include, at a minimum, a description of the following:

Vocational Rehabilitation program purpose

Eligibility requirements

Scope of services that may be provided to eligible students

The VR Transition Counselor can provide information regarding OVR services that can be passed on to students and their families by contacting the SPED Teacher, Transition Coordinator, SPED Coordinator, or School Counselor.

The VR Transition Counselor should work with school staff to ensure referrals of students with disabilities to the OVR program at the beginning of the school year as follows:

Referral and application for OVR services is recommended at age 16 for students who are involved in or plan to be involved in Community-Based Work Experiences (CBWE).

All other students are encouraged to apply for OVR transition services two years prior to school exit.

Students at high risk of dropping out should be referred if they are old enough to begin training or searching for employment.

The VR Transition Counselor may act in an advisory capacity for at-risk youth who are too young to apply and/or do not have a disability.

This should allow sufficient time for determining eligibility, identifying OVR service needs, referring students to community services, and developing the approved IPE prior to the student's exit from school.

Transition Steering Committee

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) administers programs that assist in educating children and youth with disabilities and provides funding for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services for youth and adults with disabilities. OSERS established the Transition Steering Committee to focus specifically on services, needs, and outcomes of youth with disabilities who may benefit from the work conducted and services authorized by its program component offices. This committee, also known as "Transition Tigers", includes staff members from bothe OSERS program component offices:

CNMI Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) is committed to ensuring that its website is accessible to people with disabilities. All the pages on our website will meet W3C WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level AA conformance. Any issues should be sent to nmidir@ovrgov.net.

It is OVR's goal that the information on its website will be accessible to individuals with disabilities in compliance with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and that the statute's implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 104, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and that statute's implementing regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 35.

If you have difficulty accessing information on our website because of a disability, please contact us at nmidir@ovrgov.net and provide the URL (web address) of the material you tried to access, the problem you experienced, and your contact information. Be sure to include your name, email address, and phone number so that we may contact you to provide the information in another format.

Grievances can be filed with OVR by emailing nmidir@ovrgov.net.

This website was developed with federal funds made possible by a grant from the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.